


Altered Code

by Ninjaman2



Series: Story Shift (Ninjago) [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Dysphoria, Dysphoria, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 08:33:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23848237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninjaman2/pseuds/Ninjaman2
Summary: In a reality where Zane, as we know him, doesn't exist, PIXAL is the master of ice, Cole’s heritage is interesting… The ninja are obviously a bit different.This story focuses on PIXAL in this strange new reality and her relationship with a particular member of the team.
Relationships: Jay Walker/P.I.X.A.L, Lloyd Garmadon/Nya, Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Story Shift (Ninjago) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718482
Comments: 9
Kudos: 14





	1. Panic

PIXAL smiled warmly as she cut up the vegetables of tonight’s meal. She hummed softly as her knife expertly cute an onion into pieces and she added them to the pan. She wasn’t wearing her white Gi. Instead she wore an oversized baggy hoodie. Her white metal fingers release the blade as she made her final preparations for the meal. She spotted herself in the reflection of some glass on a cabinet and was suddenly filled with a strong desire to vomit, but she lacked the ability to do so. She began to grip the counter and pant heavily. Her green eyes blinking and twitching and she trembled massively and reached out for the knife. Only to have another hand gently grip hers. She could hear a soothing voice whispering into her ears. She felt his hand travel under her hoodie and gently rub her back. She whimpered softly.

“Hey… ssssh… it’s okay PIX… it’s okay…” He soothed gently.

She looked up at him, his brown eyes meeting hers. She could see his short red hair briefly, before he pulled her close and into a hug. He pulled off her hoodie and continued to gently feel her back, his hands gently stroking her body. It cooled her core and relaxed her. She could feel a soft blanket wrap around her.

“I’ll finish tonight’s meal… keep your eyes shut… and go to bed… I’ll be wherever you need me…” He smiled and held her hand and led her into the corridor and over to her room. Being the only girl aboard the Destiny’s Bounty, she got her own room. He pushed her onto the bed gently and smiled at her.

“Jay…” she whimpered softly.

“Sssh… eyes closed… I’ll be back soon.”

PIXAL was a seventeen year old android. She was created by the brilliant Dr Cyrus Borg. However she’d spent most of her life around humans rather than robots. She was build from a special material and her AI was programmed so she’d age and develop like a normal girl. The material she was made out of was soft to the touch and could growl just like any girl would during puberty. Borg was making his perfect daughter. Too bad he died shortly after he’d finished her.

What she longed for most in life, was to be human. A normal human girl, not a machine. Sure she had emotions, taste buds, a digestive system (to an extent), realistic sex organs, but her body was metal and her heart didn’t beat. She had body dysphoria. She hated seeing and looking at her white and purple body. She saw it as ugly. It reminded her, she wasn’t human. This caused a separation in her mind, a separation between her and her new family. Her new family was the Ninja. An elite trained team of warriors trained by the ancient and wise Sensei Wu. She was his second recruit. She was visibly different from her brothers, and they viewed her as different. Not in a negative way. But when you looked like her… you couldn’t help but note how different she was to the rest of Ninjago.

But then there was Jay. The Blue Ninja of lightning. He didn’t look at her like she was different. And she’d never forget that. Nor would she forget his first words about her.

“Woah! Cute girl alert!”

‘Cute girl’ not ‘robot girl’ or ‘cute robot girl’, he saw her just as a girl. As if the wires were muscles and the metal was skin. As if she was human. And she quickly fell in love with him. He made it his personal mission in life to make her happy, during her episodes and panic attacks, he’d hold her and tell her all the things he liked about her. She relied on him and he knew this. He protected her from herself. He loved her just as much as she did him. But neither had the courage to ask the other out. 

PIXAL was jealous of Nya. Her olive skin, her dark hair, her toned body. Everyone knew Jay had a massive crush on her. PIXAL was fond of her fellow girl but… she wanted Jay in her arms… at all times… but when PIXAL was safe and happy, his attention would be on the other girl. 

Wu had just left the day previously to gather help in their search for Lloyd and the Fang Blades, with her master not there to make the Ninja train during all of their free time, she might finally be able to devise a plan for asking Jay out on a date.

So long as nothing went wrong...


	2. Pretty

PIXAL had put up all of her flyers and spotted Jay and Nya putting theirs up together. Oh how she wished she just had the courage to ask him out already. He noticed her staring and beamed at her with that goofy Jay Walker smile of his. If she possessed the ability to blush, she probably would’ve.

The team reconvened in the centre of the village a few minutes later. 

“Oh this is pointless! We’ll never find Lloyd or the fang blades like this! We’d be better off digging a hole in the middle of the desert to find them!” Cole cried hopelessly.

“Cole, the probability of that being successful-”

“Figurative speech PIX” Kai sighed.

There was a feeling of hopelessness clinging to the whole group since Sensei Wu had left them high and dry. 

“Well I suppose there’s not much more we really can do, I mean there is no written record of these things ever existing, they could be anywhere across Ninjago, and we apparently aren’t at top form yet.” Cole grumbled.

“Hmm… perhaps there is a lesson here.” PIXAL suggested, unsure of herself.

“Oh please, do go on.” Said Kai, passive aggressively, the situation clearly arovating the hot head.

Nya elbowed her brother in the ribs.

“No, please PIXAL, what can you gleam from this? You’re a robot after all, your computer brain should figure this out.”

Jay glared daggers at him for his statement and he replied with a look of ‘Am I wrong?’

“Perhaps we were too over confident in our assumption that A) we were at peak condition, and B) that this mission would be easy. Sensei is still teaching us, even now.” PIXAL suggested, shuffling uncomfortably after Cole’s statement.

“Well I’m not a big fan of this lesson…” Muttered Kai. “Come on guys, let’s head back to the bounty…”

Kai led the way as the ninja and Nya made their way back to their boat. PIXAL felt Jay squeeze her hand apologetically.

“J-Jay!” She asked grabbing his shoulder as he passed before she could stop herself. “I’d like to ask you a question…”

“Sure PIX, but can it wait? I’d rather no let Cole get to Fist To Face 2 before me or he’ll pick my favourite character.” He said, as if it were the most important thing in the world.

“O-Oh, yes it can wait… it… it wasn’t anything important…” She stammered shyly. 

He started walking away and then stopped. 

“PIX…? It’s important to you isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Go on.”

“Do… d-do you think I’m…. pretty?”

“What?”

“I just… while we were putting up the flyers… I saw a group of guys fawning over this girl…”

“You want a group of guys like that?” He smirked and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“N-No of course not!” She blushed. “I just… she was really pretty and… well normal… I just… I wish I looked like her instead of… this…” 

Jay sighed.

“PIX, if I’m to be honest… you’re probably the most beautiful girl I know. Both in looks and personality, and that isn’t just the inventor in me marvelling over your robot body. I genuinely think you’re very beautiful as you are.” She smiled and took your hand. “Heck, I’d honestly lie and say you were my girlfriend to impress people if I could!” He chuckled and her non-existent heart raced. ‘Girlfriend’? “Now come on! The other will be waiting.” And he raced towards where the bounty was parks.

She fiddled with her hands nervously and smiled.

“He… he thinks I’m pretty…? No… beautiful…”

She probably would’ve cried if she could. She raced after him with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this will probably only be around 5-10 chapters. 
> 
> So this AU is rather small right now, I’ve only got planned changes for Zane (PIXAL) and Cole right now so if you’ve got any suggestions for things I could change about the Ninja feel free to leave them in the comments.


	3. Everyone Knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidental racism?  
> Probably.   
> If so I apologise.

PIXAL sat on the deck of the bounty, observing the evening sun. It’s rays dipping beneath the ocean around them. PIXAL sat in a suit suit. A simple red bikini. To be honest, she didn’t understand why she’d bought it. She heard footsteps behind her and spotted Cole approaching.

He nodded to her and leaned over the front railing of the ship and stared at the calm waves.

“Cole. Can I ask you something, which may come off as insensitive?” PIXAL asked cautiously.

He chuckled. 

“Ask away.”

“Do you feel different? Different from the rest of the ninja as you are a different race?”

Cole laughed again. 

“Pix, I’m black, but i'm still human, so I never felt like a _different_ _race,_ y’get me? The guys are my friends, my family, my brothers. I haven’t had a family in a while.”

“So you don’t feel different despite how you look?”

“I’m beginning to get the feeling this is about you more than it is about me…”

She didn’t reply, instead she looked out across the ocean.

“Pix none of us think of you as anything other than our sister. Robot or not. Cause that heart.” He put his hand where her heart should be. “And this brain.” He put his hand on her head. “Is as human as can be.”

She smiled softly and he pulled her into a hug.

“I thank you Cole. This has… helped significantly.”

He chuckled.

“Speaking of family… you’ve never really talked about yours…”

“The truth is… I don’t enjoy it… I’ve mentioned before about how people attacked me… right?”

“Yeah, they didn’t trust you because you were a robot and you made one mistake and someone got hurt… so they tried to take you apart.” His face was cold and grim.

“Well… that’s why… but… I did have a dad… I don’t remember much about him… apart from his face.”

“My mother died… only a few months ago… just before Wu found me. To be honest… I don’t remember much about her now… how she laughed… things she said… hell, I don’t even remember her face anymore…” a single tear rolled down his face. “So, some advice Pix. Don’t run from your past, accept it. Cause you’ll never know when you’ll need it. You had a family, and you’ve got one now. We all care about you. And we know you care about us.”

She beamed with pride and he chuckled, however a smirk quickly formed on his lips.

“Especially Jay.”

She figuratively blushed bright pink.

“I… I um… I… I have… I don’t…”

“Oh come on PIXAL! It’s obvious you’ve got a crush on him!” He roared with laughter at her reaction. “And to be honest, I think he’s got the hots for you too~ well that and Nya…”

She played with her hands nervously.

“Obvious?”

“Big time.”

“Does…?”

“Everyone knows Pix. Everyone except Jay…” he chuckled again before making his way back onto the ship, leaving a very embarrassed Pixal with her thoughts.

It was late. And she couldn’t make a sound. She struggled through the hallways. She had to get there. She had to make it there. Her whole body screamed in agony. She’d locked up. She’d messed up. She’d taken a shower and knocked the cloth covering her mirror loose and spotted herself. She stumbled through the wooded halls until she found the door. The boy’s shower was separate from their room, unlike hers and Nya’s. She punched the door and heard a shout from inside. She made a strangled noise and punched the door again. She could her him fumbling with the lock. She forced her locked up and tightly clenched body into the door until it came off the hinges. He leapt back in surprise as she stumbled into him and into his arms. She helped her gently to the floor and steadied her, she felt across her bare and damp metal skin. He found her pressure points and triggered them. She whimpered softly in his grip. He grabbed a towel and covered her. She made a choking raspy sound.

“Seizure?”

She managed a nod.

He pulled her into his chest and rocked her slowly, feeling her skin gently and brushing her hair.

“You did the right thing coming here. Did you see yourself?”

A weak whimper.

“Was it the mirror?”

Another one.

“I’ll remove it, I’m sorry… I… I thought it could help you… do you need me to stay the night.”

A soft cry of pain. And then another whimper.

“Okay… We’ll stay here for a bit… then I’ll stay with you tonight… I’m sorry PIXAL… I’m so sorry…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is that how seizures work?  
> I’m not sure...


	4. Eastern Hollow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so its time for actual plot.  
> This was really difficult to write. I struggled a lot with ideas due in the nature to the alternate story I'm creating here, but overall I'm satisfied with everything but the ending, its a bit weak, but I'm happy enough with it and honestly want to move on to Rebooted now.

PIXAL opened her eyes and saw Jay smiling at her. 

“You’re all dressed. Luckily the guys were asleep so none of them saw me not sleep in my own bed.”

He waved her goodbye and exited her room. She looked about it. It was sparse in decoration, save once for the mirror which Jay had now removed. Her shower, sink and toilet were all in a section of the room separated by a divider. In reality she didn’t need the bath area at all. But she enjoyed showering. Warm water against her skin and in her joints. Kept them smooth and working. 

She felt her hair, he’d done it in a ponytail. She looked down at her white gi. Without a crease. Perfect in every way. Unlike her. She wasn’t perfect. She was a glitch. A malfunction. And she certainly wasn’t human.

She sat in the control room all morning. Monitoring the scanners. Searching for any sign of serpentine activity. It was quiet. Eventually, one by one as the morning progressed, the entire team gathered there. Everyone watching the screens, eager for something, any kind of direction. Since Sensei had left them… they’d all felt pretty lost. Especially over this idea of their True Potential. The boys had trained their bodies to peak physical condition before Sensei had left. PIXAL had trained her mind. Now, all that training was going to waste with no actual villains to fight, plus there was that strange Samurai running around, whoever it was was likely scooping up all the crime.

_ BEEP _

Action. Everyone sprung to life and Nya’s hands flew across the keyboard.

There had been a serpentine sighting around a small village known as Eastern Hollow. As soon as the name sprung to life on the screen, PIXAL could feel her joints and servos locking up. She had to mute her voice in order to hide the fact she’d started hyperventilating. The guys eager for action launched themselves from the room to grab the Golden Weapons. PIXAL slumped against one of the walls, her eyes locked on the two words on the screen. Eastern Hollow.

“Pix?” It was Kai. “You coming?”

She unmuted herself. “Y-Yes. Just… getting a tactical read out of the environment. Temperatures are low and there’s large amounts of snow, especially at this point in the year. Tell the guys to grab the snow equipment.”

Kai nodded and dashed out the room again. PIXAL steadied herself and slowly followed him out the room.

The chatter was thick along the route. Jay flying overhead discussing with Kai and Cole about how excited they were to kick more serpentine butt. PIXAL had muted herself again and was trying to focus on the mission. They were only here to defeat the snakes and then she could be out of there. She just had to keep her hood up the whole time and nobody would notice it was her.

She shuddered slightly. Was she scared? Scared of what could happen? No, she couldn’t be scared. She was a highly trained ninja. Nothing scared her.

Her vehicle slid to a halt. She could see the familiar round wooden buildings and snow capped roofs.

Her vehicle vanished in a flash and she started trembling softly. Cole, Kai, and Jay soon arrived next to her.

“There’s the village.” Kai pointed out, stating the obvious. “So where’s the snakes?”

“I have an idea. I’ll perform aerial reconnaissance while Kai, you and Cole go into the town proper. Pix? Hang back and keep a distance, I want you picking off any stragglers or reporting reinforcements. Guys, we need to take this seriously, if the serpentine are here, then there’s a likely chance there’s a fang blade here.” Jay stated.

“Wow Jay! What was that?”

“Listen I’ve been getting bored… so I read some tactics books… yes Kai, I do more than play video games.”

Kai looked like his whole world had just been shattered. With the plan sorted, weapons drawn, Kai and Cole rushed the village. PIXAL didn’t move. 

“Pix?”

Jay gently shook her and she was snapped out of her state of hidden panic.

“You okay? I didn’t think the cold could get to you.”

“Neither did I… perhaps some of my servos are still locked from last night and are causing issues?” She suggested, struggling for a defence.

“I’ll have Nya check it out when we get back.”

Jay took into the air in a flash of blue electricity as his Jet shot off. PIXAL summoned her vehicle and hoped that, so long as her hood remained up, she’d be fine.

PIXAL performed multiple surveys of the surrounding area, her sensors not detecting any-

Her vehicle vanished when she hit something hard and was flung from it. She landed face down in the snow.

She wasn’t aware of how much time passed but when she pulled herself out, the sun was setting in the horizon, so at least a few hours. She must’ve accidentally entered sleep mode. She found what had caused her to corrine of course, she’d drifted too far out and hit a fallen tree. She glanced around at her surroundings. She stood before a dilapidated house. It’s thin wooden planks aged and bent. She pushed open the door gently and it snapped off its hinges. She stepped inside and glanced around. She recognised the interior instantly. She felt the cold and rough wooden furnishings. They didn’t look comfortable for a human to use, but she knew one had. Her father.

She remembered zeros and ones. Code and nothing more. And then shortly later there was text, simple text, but text.

“Can you hear me?”

“Yes I can. Who are you? Who am I?”

Her father had made her when he was a young man, an AI on his computer. An AI he treated like a daughter. He installed a webcam and a microphone so she could hear and see him. They had always talked about building her a body. Then something changed. Then everything changed. His mother died. He was gone for days. Until he returned. He was wild and terrified.

“PIXAL, we need to move, now.”

“Father? What appears to be the issue?”

“I did something PIXAL… something bad… no, but it’s good! Good for you!” He opened up a sack of metal ingots. They were white and many. “This is a special metal…. I stole it… from some up and coming tech company… I think it was Julien Industries or something…”

“Stealing is wrong Father.”

“I know PIXAL… I know… but they were just lying there out in the open by the warehouse, I’ve read out them in the magazines… Brain Metal, it can be shaped and morphed and it grows, just like flesh does. We could give you a body, a real body which can go! You’d get to be my daughter at last!”

“But I am already your creation, therefore I am your daughter.”

“Yes, but you’re inside a computer-... listen there’s no time, I’m sure the cameras saw me, I’ve got to pack up and then we’re out of here!”

She remembered first seeing the interior of the log cabin, once he’d set up her webcam. She wasn’t too impressed with the size. Her father spent years working in the local mine, purchasing supplies and working on her body. He eventually lost the ability to use his legs, stuck in a wheelchair. But he continued to build her a body. And eventually he did.

PIXAL was born.

She around this point had existed for over 20 years, but he built her a body of a six year old girl, since she was six when they fled home. 

Her body was white and cold. She didn’t like it, but she couldn’t tell him that. He promised that he’d get her looking human soon enough.

She’d play with the other children in the snow, they didn’t treat him any differently. There was one boy, Jax. He thought she was amazing, though of course to him; she was a robot.

Her father’s health took to the worse. Working in the mine had drained his life significantly. She couldn’t stand to see her father suffering so. So she did what her logic dictated, find the cause of his suffering, and eliminate it. She killed him.

Not murder, but euthanasia. Ending his life to end his pain. Preserve his dignity. He never told her to stop. He didn’t seem concerned. To her, this meant that what she was doing was good. But someone from the village had seen her, seen her snap her father’s neck. A respected pillar of the community.

When she went out of play with the children the next day. She was met with a mob. The parents were finally able to voice their disgust for her.

“Not real!”

“Monster!”

“Heartless Machine!”

They threw rocks at her and grabbed at her and attempted to tear her apart. She escaped with minimal damage. Three days later, someone found her collapsed in the snow and took her into his home. He cleaned her up, gave her some clothes, and she was on her way again. An older man, with white hair, who seemed to make everything he touched colder. 

Six months later and she turned 16, four months later and Wu found her, homeless and on the streets. He extended a hand and gave her a home, a family, a new identity.

She pulled off her hood and sobbed. Of course, there were no tears, but she felt as if she were crying. Her whole body ached and groaned as she collapsed to her knees.

“You.” A male voice said.

She froze. She turned and spotted a man in a thick coat with his hood up, hiding his face.

“I know you. You’ve got a lot of nerve coming back here!” He had a harpoon in his hand. He pulled back his hood revealing a mane of shaggy black hair and a badly shaven beard. He charged and and she didn’t move, she was willing to accept her fate.

What she wasn’t expecting was the hug.

He’d pulled her into a tight hug.

“It’s so good to see you again!”

“I…. I am confused…”

Jax chuckled.

“You just left one day, after your dad died… we never even got to say goodbye.” 

She shuffled nervously. Of course their parents wouldn’t tell them that their robot best friend murder her father.

It was not murder

It was not murder

IT WAS NOT MURDER

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, everyone handles grief differently… but um… what’s with the get-up?”

“I’m here for a reason. Have you heard about the recent Serpentine incidents?”

“News takes a while to get here, but yeah, why?”

“Well some were spotted near here, and me and my friends are here to…”

Boom!

A loud explosion rocked the nearby area. There was an exchange of glances before the two rushed towards town.

  
  


In the centre of the small town there were four serpentine. The buildings of the town were wooden igloos built into the sides of a hill. Covered and surrounded by snow they became like large snowballs within the curved crater like area.

PIXAL was quick to action, tossing one of her shuriken toward a serpentine, freezing it in place. She charged towards the other one, meeting its attempted sword swipe with the remaining golden weapon, and freezing it. With a backflip over with and then a drop kick, she was able to leave it unconscious.

By this point though, the other snake had freed itself, only to be hit over the head by Jax’s harpoon.

The other two sprinted at them, spears in hand, but were frozen by PIXAL and knocked out by Jax.

Once they were all defeated, PIXAL froze them in place and smiled happily.

She pulled back her hood instinctively and giggled at the grin on Jax’s unshaven face.

She turned around, and found herself freezing up. The towns folk had emerged from their homes only to see PIXAL once again, and armed.

Some people screamed, other’s ran back inside, few then returned with weapons… guns, swords, harpoons.

The older members of the town glared at her. She found herself backing away slowly.

“It's her!”

“Destroy it!

“Scrap the monster!”

“WHAT?!” Jax demanded, stepping in front of PIXAL defensively. “This is our friend, the one who’s been missing for years! She’s no enemy!”

“Foolish child! Get out of the way!” One woman yelled. “She killed her own father!”

A gunshot, it shot past Jax towards PIXAL, but impact was never made.

There was a flash of blue and gold, and Jay stood before her, having deflected the bullet with his nunchucks.

“It’s one of the ninja!”

“Ninja!”

“It's a ninja!”

“Mum look!”

“Sorry I’m late, got distracted and let a few snakes get away, now… WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SHOOTING AT HER?!” Jay demanded, very aggressively. He rested a steadying hand on her arm.

“You’re a ninja aren’t you, the ninja are apparently good people… but you’ve been misled, that THING behind you is an awful horrible killing MACHINE.”

The words stung PIXAL, she could feel her very core drain at her words.

“What? NO! She’s PIXAL and she’s a person, same as the rest of us.”

“She murdered her own father! In cold blood!”

Jay glared daggers at the woman. 

“I doubt that.”

“We have proof! An eye witness. She grabbed him by the throat and crushed it.”

“PIXAL panics when she hurts butterflies, I highly doubt-”

“J-Jay… stop…”

He turned as she pushed past him into the center of the town.

“I did it. I ended his life.” She declared. “But I want each of you to hear me out before you judge me.”

“PIXAL, what are you…?”

“You too Jay… you need to listen.” She sighed and readied herself. “My father worked in those mines daily, for years under little pay because you viewed him as an outsider. You never had any love for my father, or me. He was no respect pillar of the community like you all claimed he was. Furthermore, he was dying anyway. He’d be in pain, a long downward spiral into nothingness, I chose to eliminate that suffering, Euthanasia. Yes, I snapped my own father’s neck, but it was a quick death over months of suffering. You just wanted to use the situation to act out your own prejudices against me because…. Because… because I am a robot!”

There was a roar of engines and people screamed. A group of serpentine on vehicles charged into the city. Jay immediately launched into action, she could see the people running in terror from the serpents as Jay tried his best to defend them alone. But PIXAL just stood there. In silence. Watching it all.

“PIXAL?” A voice asked softly.

She turned. Her father was sat in his chair drinking a warm cup of tea. “What’s wrong my child?”

“The people… they’re afraid of me. They want to hurt me.”

“Well let them. People are afraid of what they don’t understand; I fear there are few in this world who do understand you.”

“I don’t understand me.”

He chuckled.

“Well, then let me explain. I used to live in a big city, you remember right? Well the police in Ninjago City aren’t very good and crime is high. People are afraid to even report crime, because so many cops are crooked now. I spent so many days seeing defenceless people attacked in the streets. So that's the reason why I spent so much time programming things such as martial arts and the ability to use weapons into you. I don’t want you to kill, I want you to protect. The A.I of you I made so long ago was an experiment, but the body and soul I gave you were constructed for a different purple. PIXAL, my daughter, you were built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

His final words echoed throughout her system. She was found by Wu, he taught her her place, how to fight more advance, made her into a hero. It's as if he knew her purpose. She was to defend those powerless. 

The serpentine were a dangerous foe, these people would die, Jay couldn’t defend them.

One of the snakes lunged a spear at the same woman who was screaming at PIXAL, but it never made contact. PIXAL grabbed it and it froze on contact. Her eyes glowed bright blue and soon her entire body did. The wind whipping up around her and she rose into the air.

“I MAY BE A ROBOT, BUT I AM NO KILLER. I AM PIXAL AND I WAS BUILT TO PROTECT THOSE WHO CANNOT PROTECT THEMSELVES!”

In an instant her blue light spread out throughout the valley and froze all of the Serpentine instantly. She plummeted into the ground.

  
  


*

PIXAL bolted upright. She was in bed aboard the bounty. Jay, Nya, Kai and Cole were all at her side.

“PIXAL that was incredible!” Jay gushed. “I think you discovered your true potential, you froze the serpentine without the Shurikens!”

“I… did?”

“Yeah!” Cole beamed. “I guess this is what sensei meant. Inside us is an element, all we have to do is figure out how to access that power.”

Eventually everyone left, leaving Jay and PIXAL alone.

“Did the people survive?”

“Yes, you didn’t hurt any of them. That was amazing Pix!”

“Thank you Jay…”

“Oh but hey, no matter what you said back there or what was said about you. I trust you and believe in you and you’ll always be human to me.” He smiled and squeezed her hand before rushing off to join the others. PIXAL smiled to herself before drifting back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a few things. This next chapter will jump to rebooted. That being said, this will casually mention two rather large changed in the Alternate story.  
> Those being: the identity of the green ninja - its not Lloyd - and a later character appearing earlier and not as a villain. These two reveals and things will get their own stories once I'm done with Rebooted. The next chapter is more or less describing stuff between the defeat of the overlord and rebooted, so it is an optional chapter.


	5. One Year Later

Peace had come to Ninjago. The Golden Ninja had eliminated the Overlord and the Ninja had retired. Wu settled down to open a school. Kai and Cole had immediately offered to work there as teachers. Jay and Nya had more or less split up, which as bad as it sounds made PIXAL rather happy. PIXAL honestly still couldn’t believe how far they’d come, from playing video games in a monastery to heroes of the country. Well while Nya did get most of the credit, in that she killed the Overlord herself, the rest of the ninja did receive a healthy financial compensation from the Emperor. Apparently the Emperor had just adopted a new daughter, but that wasn’t important. 

She had joined Wu’s school, because really, she had nowhere else to go. So they went from Ninja to Teachers.

PIXAL taught science and math. Kai taught history. Jay was engineering. Cole did music and sports. Wu was headmaster. Aspheera was deputy head and she taught the remaining subjects. Honestly it was rather surprising when the ninja tried to infiltrate Pythor’s secret dungeon and steal the Fang Blades that they’d encounter a thousands of years old serpentine who apparently had a mutual crush on Wu. She was a princess once. Now Aspheera was just another Sensei to them. Lloyd, after his father had been purified, went off to live with his family, he wrote to the ninja often. 

Jay had been offered an internship at Julien Industries in Ninjago City, and after finding someone to cover engineering for them, he departed. It was a heavy blow to PIXAL, no longer having him near, but he called at the weekends and always picked up when she called. Then after a particularly stressful day of work. He visited with some interesting news. Dr Julien himself had invited the Ninja to come visit Julien industries, with the students being allowed to come along and visit the headquarters of the future of Ninjago.

“Guess who’s here?!” Jay called as he walked through the door into the living area of the school. The group cheered, Aspheera giving a smile. 

“Jay! It’s so good to see you!” PIXAL beamed and hugged him tightly.

Jay hugged back and smiled.

Wu approached him eagerly. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” 

“Well I was talking to Dr Julien yesterday about you guys and how you’ve got the school and he’s invited you all to come and visit him, he wants to give us something for defeating the overlord, and the kids get a tour of the facility.”

“Oh yay, we get to visit the ‘engine of the future’” Aspheera rolled her reptilian eyes. “If you don’t mind, love, I’ll hold down the thought.”

“You mean play poker with Dareth.” Cole chuckled.

“Listen boy, I plan to beat him this time!”

“Dareth. How do you manage to lose, to Dareth, at poker?!” Jay laughed and she hissed aggressively.

The school wasn’t too far outside the city limits. It was a three hour drive to New Ninjago City. PIXAL sat next to him and listened intently as he gushed about life in New Ninjago City. Most of the drive in fact was taken up with this. About an hour and a half in, Cole realised something.

“Damn it. I completely forgot!”

“What?” 

“Nya. She was coming back today!”   
“That? Oh it's fine, just send a text to Dareth and either he or Aspheera will tell her.”

“I missed you a lot PIXAL.” Jay said, taking her hand gently, around half way through the journey. “It just wasn’t the same without you.”

“O-Oh… thank you Jay… I missed you too.” SAY IT. SAY IT. Her internal computer was going overboard, she needed to say it here and now before. 

“And here we are!” Called out Wu as the bus pulled up to Julien Tower.

As PIXAL thought back on that journey, her reunion with him. How desperately she wished now, she’d told him then, because now, she was about to die.


	6. The Titanium Ninja

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'll be the first to admit that Nya's fic wasn't very good. It looked slightly better in the google doc than it did on the website. More or less I just wanted to explain what was going on with Nya in this universe rather than tell a full story, like I am doing with this and will be doing with Cole's story. Also for those who are wondering about Lloyd's role in the series in this universe? Don't worry that gets explained soon enough.

How could things have gotten this bad?

The ninja were huddled inside the Temple of Fortitude, hiding out from the onslaught of the Golden Master. Dr Julien had just unveiled his master plan. PIXAL and Jay were off in a corner, her Gi removed as he checked her circuit boards. They were charred and fried as her crystal heart pulsated and glowed. He didn’t want her on this final mission, because he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to happen to her.

Closing up her chest he gave her an encouraging smile. He was exhausted, they all were. Cole, Nya, Kai, Lloyd, and Jay had barely had any sleep since the evening before blasting off into space. Lloyd had only joined them out of desire to be helpful and now? The powerless teen was thrust into a battle against a monster with his grandfather’s powers.

“So guys, what do you think we’ll do after this fight?” Cole offered, leaning against one of the ornate pillars of the temple.

“I will continue to work for Dr Julien.” Said Zane flatly, the robot built by Dr Julien as his assistant.

“I think I’ll return to the school with Wu.” Kai murmured. 

It was either incredible they had this much confidence despite the situation, or they were idiots, PIXAL thought. And the latter seemed more apt than the former.

“I’ll definitely continue to work with Dr Julien, after all Ninjago city needs a lot of help right now and that’s not even mentioning all the repair work afterwards. Who’s up for new, new Ninjago City?”

The team chuckled.

“I just want this whole mess to be over… it's my fault for giving up my powers…” Nya sighed.”

“None of that.” Lloyd pressed. “We don’t know that, they could’ve always been planning to use the golden weapons.” 

Nya gave a soft smile at his encouragement. 

“Hmm think I might take a break from this all for a while, go on vacation eh? Then I’ll probably return to the school.”

Wu then approached. “I’m afraid that’s unlikely. I’m probably going to hand the school off to someone else. My ability to teach lies with my hands and in you. I suppose I wanted to reclaim the emotions I felt training you four originally… but I have failed, and I have kept each of you from your families for long enough, you don’t owe me anything.”

“Nonsense Sensei. We owe you everything, you gave us the chance to be heroes! We’re always going to be grateful to you. But let’s not focus on the future right now, we should focus on the here and now.”

They all nodded and went off to finish their last minute preparations.

PIXAL glanced over and spotted Jay looking up and down at a suit of stone armour. Shyly she approached him and tapped him on the shoulder. Given everything, her internal computer had come to one conclusion; now was the time.

“Jay I…”

He turned and smiled at her. “Something wrong?”

“I… I… I was thinking… after this… maybe I could… join you… in Ninjago City. A-After all the Nindroids are kind of my fault so it makes sense if I stayed to help!” She panicked and added that last bit.

He chuckled. “I mean, it's not really your fault, but sure. I’d love having you here.”

  
  


She jumped backwards. Tripping slightly as she did so, her green eyes watching in horror as the golden tendrils wrapped around each of her friends. Wu, Garmadon, Nya, Kai, Cole, Jay. Each of them were caught in the Overlord’s web.

“THAT WAS IT?! THAT WAS ALL YOU’VE GOT?!” He boomed with a hideous laughter as he squeezed each of the ninja. The plan had failed. Without the ability to reset and eliminate his spirit they could do nothing, it's not as if they could just kill him. She froze. 

When Nya had destroyed the Overlord’s physical form, his spirit had become freed from Garmadon, and became one with the technology of Ninjago city, eventually becoming a virus within Dr Julien’s digital world. However the virus and spirit had merged into a physical form, locking the spirit within. If the physical form could be wiped out without a trace… the Overlord would be destroyed. But they had nothing powerful enough to destroy him in this state, not even their elemental powers. The best she could do would freeze him in place so… he couldn’t escape…

The dots connected in her head. Every strand of data, running thousands, no millions of simulations in a matter of seconds. All came to the same conclusion. This was the only way.

She pulled down her mask and looked at each of them once more.

“Support me, my family… one last time.” She surged forward, jumping from their bodies to avoid becoming stuck on the golden web. As she flipped through the air towards the giant mechanical spider like being, she sent her systems into overdrive. The blue crystal glowing brightly and pouring out energy, blight blue sparks rippled across her white body, burning her pale suit. Her hands reached out and gripped the golden ribs of the mech. Her whole body began to ripple and glow as she felt the full power of the four golden weapons destroying her body. Meanwhile her systems burned and surged as her core hit critical mass. All self preservation systems shutting off. She was aware words were leaving her mouth, but what they were she didn’t know. The Overlord laughed at her predicament, not noticing that destiny was on his side. She screamed in agony as the Overlord began to weaken. Taking in all the power of the four legendary weapons. She began to spark and sob. Her silver hair falling loose in the effort.

“What’s she doing?!” Cried Kai in the distance, the collapsing web having dropped them to the ground.

“She’s protecting us!” Said Wu in awe.

“Her cores reached critical mass, if she keeps this up… SHE’LL EXPLODE!”

“Let go PIXAL! LET GO!” Screamed Cole.

But the moment had arrived. She could feel the crystal within her shattering. 

“Foolish Nindroid! You’re on the wrong side, you’ve failed. Everyone you love will die, but first, YOU WILL DIE.”

“I… I… I know who I am. I am PIXAL, I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and I am just as human as any other.”

She took one last lingering look towards her family, her body burning bright. 

“I’m sorry Jay…”

His phone buzzed with a notification but he didn’t care.

“PIXAL!!!!”

Was the last thing she heard before she unleashed the full power of her element upon the Overlord, freezing him to the side of the building and bringing down a blizzard onto Ninjago City. Wu pushed the ninja into the sewers as PIXAL shattered and exploded, taking the Overlord with her and in the deafening boom.

  
  


It was a nice funeral. Her old friends from Eastern Hollow turned up. Dr Julien gave some kind words about her, before letting each of the ninja say their peace. Cole talked about the bond they had. Kai talked about the memories they’d made. Nya talked about how PIXAL’s anxieties helped her cope with her own. Lloyd explained how she felt like an older sister to him. Then it was Jay’s turn to speak. He’d be catatonic in the week since her death. He’d spent the first three days in denial. Searching for the pieces of her to rebuild her. He’d spent the rest cooped up in his apartment, sobbing. 

Dr Julien had commissioned the monument first, before even thinking about rebuilding the city. There were four pillars around the central statue. A titanium monument of her, dressing in her gi, with a sword on her back. Each of the pillars had a word written on them, in the ancient Ninjago language. One said Ninja, the next Ice, the next Sister, and the final said Human. Jay spoke about her deepest secrets, the truth about her body dysphoria and self loathing. And finally, how she was more human than half the people he’d ever met. It snowed then, as the titanium ninja’s statue was unveiled. 

She was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot be the only one who still gets upset at Zane's death theme? Right.  
> I was listening to it when trying to write this chapter but I literally couldn't. It such an emotional song, simply for the scene attached to it.


	7. Voicemail

Jay was sat on his bed once again. The ninja team was fractured. Kai had left their hotel one evening and never returned, his stuff missing too. Cole had vanished into thin air after the funeral. Nya and Lloyd stayed behind with Zane and Dr Julien to help with the organization of New Ninjago City and to figure out how best to hide the Golden Amour. His phone was sat on the bedside table. He couldn’t bear to look at it, mainly because of the picture that made his lockscreen. It was a photo of PIXAL and himself at Mega Monster Amusement Park. She’d jokingly suggested they rode the tunnel of love and so they got a souvenir photo which he had digitized. 

Around two hours later, there was a buzz from it, and he managed a glance. He’d received a text from an unknown number… and a voicemail from PIXAL. He bolted upright and grabbed the blue phone, rubbing his puffy red eyes to make sure he read it right. One voicemail from PIXAL. From one week previously. The time placed it around the time PIXAL died…

He unlocked the phone and went to his voicemails. With a shaky finger, he pressed it.

“Hey Jay… it’s me PIXAL. I’ve had some time to think recently, about all of this. If you think about it… the nindroids are all created from my designs, an army of killer robots really puts you in perspective about… what you really are. As much as I don’t like it… it's hard for me to not admit that in the end, I am a robot. A Nindroid. Honestly I don’t understand why I’m recording this message. I’m supposed to be helping everyone decode the Nindroids movement pattern, and now we need to find Kai… it's a mess. But I-”

Her voice cut out and a door opening sound could be heard, as well as his own voice.

Then static, and her voice came back, but it sounded shaky and there was high winds and crackling electricity.

“Jay… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was the only way. The only way to protect you and everyone I care about. It hurts… It hurts so much.”

He felt himself crying again, he was quite literally listening to her die.

“I w-want you to promise me something, if I go… please keep my family together. I say if because… well remember what the Overlord did? Found himself inside the digital world… well my schematics are already in the Julien Industries systems… imagine if I could pull the same m-move he did? It's… cold… Jay, thank you. For everything. For caring. For understanding… for telling me I was human.”

She screamed and the voicemail ended. His whole body trembled and he found a compulsion, switching over to texts, he looked at what had been sent.

Jay dropped the phone, and he started running. Running out the hotel and through the city streets, dodging rubble and potholes and he made his way to Julien industries. Slamming down on the elevator’s button for the top floor. He rushed into the empty room and flicked on all the computers. He then entered the code and switched all the monitors over to the Digiverse. There was nothing, it was empty. A blank and empty space. No. No. No! What had he missed? 

“ALERT!” An alarm sounded out. He turned to one of the side screens and spotted the flashing red symbol, there was an unauthorised use of the construction room. The Nindroid schematics were in use. 

He sprinted down the stairs, knowing they’d be quicker, despite the distance he’d have to travel. He sprinted through and past several bewildered employees until he finally reached the factory floor. He stepped out onto the conveyor belt and was pushed forwards, as the various hands and claws finished their work. He saw a woman standing before him. She had long black hair, which a claw had just tied back into a ponytail. He was dark skinned and smiling gently at him, her green eyes sparkling excitedly. Her body was made of a variety of plates and pieces but in the end it formed a complete person. Though to most she looked completely different, he saw the same face and smiled.


	8. Celebrity Relationships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a pretty big time jump. We're jumping to Skybound. Well not exactly. See Skybound was kinda just about Jay and Nya getting together, and since that ain't happening... neither is Skybound.
> 
> Essentially, unlike Zane in the main universe, she actually announces that she's rebuilt herself and the team reforms pretty quickly, as such, Chen's whole bargaining stick is lost and therefore the Tournament of Elements doesn't happen. Possession does happen though. But Nya isn't possessed, Lloyd still is but purely because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. What this means is that the ninja never lose their elemental powers, since Nya isn't possessed. Nya does unlock her water powers and rejoins the team here. But Nadakhan is never unleashed the events of Skybound don't happen and the next thing chronologically is the Day of the Departed.

“Hello I’m James!”

“And I’m Amanda!

“And welcome too: Celebrity Time!”

“On tonight's episode, we’ve got quite an interesting little segment. It's the possibility of love within everyone’s favourite superheroes, the ninja!”

“That’s right, rumour has it that the ninja’s very own ice ninja and lightning ninja are secretly in a relationship together~”

“Is that right?”

“Yes it is James. Jay Walker and Pixal Borg are very well known for the bond they’ve shared over the years, and it's widely believed by now that they’re far more than just friends. But it's not just them, an even bigger rumour is going around, one which has some interesting pieces of evidence to support it, and it's that our very own Green Ninja Nya is actually dating the Purple Ninja, Lloyd Garmadon! Ha! Fancy that couple. The hero of Ninjago dating her achnemisis’s son!”

“Well it's unfair to call Garmadon that, Amanda, he’s been an ally to the ninja for a few years now.”

“Well yes I suppose that’s right but-”

Jay muted the TV in frustration.

“Honestly, I can’t stand the media any more. Ridiculous.” He groaned.

“I don’t mind it.” Cole chuckled, lounging on the sofa.

“Of course you don’t, you’re not their attention! Honestly I can’t stand being followed around by swarms of fans and being in the media every time I breathe! I’m not built for fangirl armies!”

“What, like Kai?”

“Oh don’t get me started on him! He’s embraced it, like his whole life has been leading towards it. He’s a bloody influencer! Next thing he’s gonna have an onlyfans!” Scowled the blue ninja.

There was a few minutes of silence in the livingroom of the bounty before Cole cracked a smile.

“100 yen.”

“100 yen?”

“100 yen he’s got an onlyfans.”

Both men then pulled out their phones and performed an internet search.

“Oh! First Spinjitzu Master’s sake Kai… I did not need to see that!” He cried out covering his eyes and closing the tab.

“Oh, hmmm bigger than I thought.” Cole chuckled and Jay rolled his eyes.

Then the door opened and Lloyd walked in, still adorned in his purple gi. Lloyd had joined their team recently, after being possessed by the Vengeful Spirit Morro, he came to realise just how much strength he truly had if he dedicated himself to training, and after discovering his true potential in the final battle, he found he had a strange purple energy like power. Thus he became the purple ninja.

“Lloyd, have you seen the news?” Jay asked, wheeling around on the younger ninja to take his mind off what he’d just witnessed.”

“No… why?”

“Well they’re saying that you and Nya are secretly in a relationship!”

Lloyd blushed bright red. “W-What…? Me and Nya… n-no… that’s…. N-no.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“They said they had evidence.” Cole murmured, still scrolling through Kai’s onlyfans, browsing the free content.

“E-Evidence?” Lloyd asked, sounding slightly nervous.

“It's probably just poor photoshops or cropped images of us out and about, pay it no mind. Just people on the internet shipping you too. It’s weird.”

“I don’t know… I mean… y-y’know if this were a tv show or s-something, it’d be good thematically… since she was supposed to fight my dad you know…” He laughed nervously. Cole gave him a look which caused him to blush more and Jay looked between them and shrugged in confusion.

“If it bothers you so much, maybe we could fire Dareth?” Lloyd suggested, eagerly changing the topic.

“Nah, nobody else would hire him.”

“It’ll probably die down soon anyway. Look at it this way, we only really ever get super popular after a world ending crisis. With so little going on right now, give it like a month and they’ll forget about us again.” Cole confirmed.

He wasn’t wrong.

Jay sat and thought to himself for a while. Him and Pixal? Dating. For the longest time he felt that he only had eyes for Nya, mostly originating from his bond with Pixal being more familiar in the beginning. And yet, after a brief spout as her boyfriend, now Nya was adamant that he and her were not going to date again. But what of his vision in the tomb of the first Spinjitzu Master. He saw himself holding hands with someone with long black hair. But he couldn’t make out their features. He had thought the whole time that this was Nya, and yet…

Pixal now had black hair, and it was pretty long.

What if he was actually going to end up with Pixal?

Well they were both tech savvy, had similar hobbies and interests, and they had a strong bond. She always preferred to team up with him when they split into twos. Could it be that she liked him? This whole time, had she been crushing on him? 

Quickly he found himself lost in thought, speculating from every angle how and why Pixal might’ve had a crush on him. 

Later that same evening, Jay cornered Cole. 

“Cole, you’re pretty perceptive, right?”

“I like to think I am, why?”

“Would you say that-”

“Yes, yes she does.”

“Wait… what?”

“Oh for- do I have to spell it out?! You two are made for each other, you’re both blind. She’d head over heels for you and has been since day one. But she’s been a good friend and let you chase Nya. Now? I don’t know where her feelings lie, but I think you should let Nya choose who she wants, and maybe see if you can catch up to Pixal before she’s moved on.” Cole gave him a friendly smile and patted him on the shoulder before walking off.

Wow… had he been so blind?

Pixal was currently giving a talk at a university, he’d take his dragon and meet her there and talk. 

But as he made his way to the edge of the bounty’s deck, he saw the mailman on his flying Bicycle. 

“Wow, you’re working late.” Jay chuckled.

“Yes well it's the only time I’m going to appear in this story so I might as well turn up last minute to give information that’ll leave this chapter on a cliffhanger.”

“What?”

“I’ve got a letter for you, my deepest condolences for your loss.” The mailman patted him on the shoulder before peddling away.

Jay looked at the letter he’d just been handed. It was a letter of passing address to him. How did he know that had died? He tore open the envelope and scanned the contents, before dropping the letter. 

“We are writing to you, to regretfully inform you of your father’s passing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and by the way, yes she does go to the Eastern Hollow on the Day of the Departed, to build a statue of her father, just like Zane did. By now, after everything she's done and through her efforts, the people of Eastern Hollow have finally warmed up to her.
> 
> And yes, Garmadon is still alive in this universe, and while that does mess stuff up in SOG, who knows, maybe I'll write something about what goes on there if people really wanna know.


	9. Identity

The message had been confusing. The text simply listed a set of coordinates. Of course, being too curious, Pixal had to follow them. It led her to the villa district just outside Ninjago City. There were a lot of big houses there and many rich people. It was more surprising that she’d managed to get here without the paparazzi swarming her. As she made her way up the hill to the largest Villa, she spotted him sat on a rock. Running a hand through his short red hair and looking stressed.

“Jay?” She asked softly, approaching him. “What’s wrong?”

“Pix? Thank you for coming… I promise I’ll explain…” He said, standing up and then hugging her.

She blushed and hugged him back. “What’s wrong?”

“I got a letter telling me my dad had died…”

“Oh no… not Ed… Jay I’m so sorry for you…” She hugged him tighter but he sighed.

“No… not my dad… my real dad… my father.”

She looked at him blankly for a moment before the pieces connected.

“You were adopted?”

“Yes. I don’t know what happened to my mother, but my father… is Cliff Gordon… the guy who plays-”

“Fritz Donegan.”

“Yep… I don’t know why he left me on my parents doorstep… and now I’ll never know… honestly I don’t know how I didn’t figure it out sooner, after all my parents are too old to have had a birth child my age…” He chuckled dryly. “Anyway, the point is… I wanted someone with me… when I came here…”

“Of course, I’ll be here for whatever you need.” She gave him a comforting smile and took his hand. Both of them ended up blushing at her sudden action.

Together they walked to the front door of the villa, where Jay inserted the key and turned it, the door unlocked. That caused a strange sinking feeling in his stomach. It meant it was all real.

The inside of the mansion was exquisite. Floor to ceiling there was fine furniture and decor. Statues of himself and of various ancient legends. Great, his birth father was self absorbed. Then he spotted something. It was a picture above the fireplace. The fireplace was decorated with a picture of a woman with long blonde hair. Then himself with that woman and a newborn baby. Then a more recent photo. It was of Jay and him, he’d met Cliff Gordon at a convention a few years back and they each got a photo with each other. He stared in shock at the photo and tried his hardest not to cry. He’d met his birth father once already. He heard a clicking sound behind him and turned to look at Pixal opening a secret door in the wall. Glancing between them, they walked into the room together. Inside they found a room decorated wall to wall in pictures of Jay. From old drawings thrown out by children’s parents, to clips from news reels. It was almost like a shrine to his own son.

“Looks… like he did actually care.”

Jay was too stunned for words.

“I get the feeling, it wasn’t his choice to give you up.” She took his hand then again, and they stayed in the room for a while, just looking at it and taking everything in.

After a while, they eventually got the courage to venture upstairs. There were a few rooms. One master bedroom which was extremely lavish, but Jay refused to enter. Four guest rooms with double beds, one featuring two single beds. Finally there was a door with a plaque, carved into the plaque was his name, Jay. Gingerly, he pushed open the door and walked in. It was a large blue room. The carpet had been freshly cleaned and the surfaces dusted. There was a workshop area, a high-tech gaming computer, and a very large bed.

It was at this that the tears came. He had so many questions. Why was he given up? Did his father intend to get him back at some point? Why? WHY?

The computer was a recent model, at least two or three years ago. Maybe until Jay turned 18, his father was planning to give him a home. He was nineteen now.

He stood there, sobbing hard. The tears flowing from his clenched shut blue eyes. Why was he crying over someone he’d never met. Pixal came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest and holding him close to her. The warm metal plates of her arms reminding him she was close. Someone he cared for was still close. Something from the back of his mind came forth in that moment. Within the secret room there was a book, a guide to love. He could feel love right now, both in the form of the affection he was receiving, and from the true feelings of the person holding him. 

In her arms, he turned around to face her. Jay wasn’t the tallest member of the team. She was a whole head taller than him. He could see her vibrant green eyes glimmering with affection. He stared up at her.

“Pix… I have a question for you…”

She began to blush from the intimacy of the position. She gave a shy nod.

“Do… do you have a crush on me?”

Her face went bright red at this, her jaw dropping in surprise.

“I… I…” She stammered wildly, her processors trying to find a way to avoid his question. Who could’ve told him? 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He chuckled.

She made a shy whimpering noise and looked away in embarrassment.

“Hey, look at me.” He tilted her face to meet his. Her green eyes locked with his blue. “I’ve been kinda an asshole for the last few years. I’ve been obsessed with chasing after Nya because to me she seems like the girl of my dreams; strong, smart, good with her hands. But the issue is… it that all of that describes you.” He gave a soft chuckle. “I thought for the longest time that you were out of my league. I mean between the hunk Cole, who you were already good friends with, then Kai who had actually been the best of us back then, I pretty much decided that you were off the table for me. Nya though… she was younger and when she first met us, Cole ran away screaming. I was certain that I could woo her. But in the end… well she made things pretty clear with how we stood romantically.”

If she had a heart, it would probably be pounding out her metal chest by now. She could feel systems shutting down as her anxiety levels rose.

“When I got to thinking about it…” He wiped away the tears on his face. “It became pretty obvious you had a crush on me. But I assumed I was overthinking things… but the rest of the team were all in conclusion. You were in love with me.”

“H-How… do you feel?”

“I feel like I owe you an apology. But more than that, I feel like I owe you a chance. My feelings for Nya weren’t built on love… but built more on desire. Whereas with you, I’ve fallen in love with the girl, Pixal… not the body she had or the sex she identified with, and I think I’ve made that pretty clear over the years. So… wanna be my girl-” He was cut off by Pixal pressing her lips to his and picking him up. Her warm metal body was pressed against his as she gripped him tightly and protectively. He matched her intensity, their lips joined together in the silence they now shared. She could feel his heart pounding, the heat radiating off his face… and the excitement in his jeans.

After level minutes of soft, silent kissing. She was eventually forced to let him breath. As she put him down he chuckled.

“That was… certainly a kiss… heh…”

She gave him a soft smile, her face still bright red.

“Pixal… I think it’ll mean more if you say it.”

“Say what?”

“You know. The L word.”

She began to tremble nervously, sparks actually flew out of her head.

“Jay Walker… I love you!” She cried, and he pulled her into another, much deeper kiss.


	10. (SMUT) That Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, this chapter is smut. No plot.  
> Explicit Sexual Content.  
> No Minors.

She blushed. He had softly placed her on the bed and was now sat on top of her. At some point during the night his shirt had vanished. She found herself staring at his well toned body. He was a twig compared to Cole, or even Kai, but she wasn’t after some hulking brute. Jay was soft… in all the right places… and judging by his pants, hard in them soo.

She had her hands guided to his jeans, they were unbuttoned and hastily removed. He had a pair of grey boxers on, and the bulge was noticeable. It wasn’t huge. Maybe around 3 to 4 inches. With shy and trembling hands, she reached towards the elastic that met his skin and lowered the garment. It sprung free pretty quickly. Uncut and raw, it throbbed softly in her face. His dick. 

Oh how she had long simulated this moment when she was alone in bed, or taking showers. She couldn’t believe it was finally before her.

Her face was hidden in the white turtleneck sweater she had on. She could feel his hands drifting under her skirt. Slowly he gripped her own underwear and pulled them to her knees. He gave a gentle chuckle as he saw the pink fabric and red love heart pattern. 

“Stop…” She whimpered, she loved the smile on his face. 

He then reached under her top and unhooked her bra, pulling down a similarly pink article of clothing and tossed it away.

“Heh… it's cute.”

“D-Don’t you think this is a bit… soon?”

“Oh… well if you want to stop then-”

Her eyes widened. “No, no! I was just wondering… why you were suddenly so interested in having sex with me…”

“Well… you’ve had a lot of lingering feelings and desires… and I’m sure you fantasized at least once about this~”

Her blush grew.

“So I thought I’d give you what you deserved~”

“O-Okay… then can I name a condition?”

“Sure.”

“I want to be naked.”

“Hmm? But then you’ll see…”

“All of the plates on my body… and I’ll see how I’m not human… I know… but at the end of the day, I want to share this passion with you, far more. It wouldn’t feel right if I was hiding myself during our first time.”

His hands carefully grazed her metal skin before sliding the sweater up and over her head, freeing her breasts. He cupped the dark mounds upon her chest, they were firm, not soft. But that made sense given her metal body. She suppressed a whimpering moan as he squeezed them teasing. He ran a thumb over her nipples and felt himself swell with pride as he heard her voice hitch and her moans escape.

Then his hands trailed down her sides until they reached her skirt. He closed his eyes and lowered her skirt to her knees before tossing it onto the soft carpeted floor.

Then he opened his eyes to meet the sight of her womanhood. A slit which leaked a lubricant like liquid for ease of entry. Hairless. He felt himself blushing at the sight of it. His fingers slipped inside with ease and she cried out with a loud moan. His fingers gently grazed her moist folds before he began simple and soft thrusts with them. Delighting at the noises she was making. Her face twisted in ecstasy, her eyes half shut due to pleasure. Such an adorable sight. Part of him wished she was human in this instance, to see a further display of ecstasy on her face; but that was only a small part. He loved her exactly how she was. 

After a few moments of gently fingering and helping her get accustomed to having something up there. He dragged his erect member over to her slit, and rubbed it against her entrance. Then, angling it accordingly, he pushed inside.

She cried out loudly as his entire length made its way inside her, he groaned happily. Then, holding her waist supportively, began to thrust into her. They were in the missionary position. Her mounds gently bounced as he thrusted into her. She had grabbed one of the pillows and buried her face in it as she whimpered and moaned out loudly in pleasure.

His cock slid against her warm folds, the friction within causing Pixal’s systems to struggle, unable to process the sensations. Pain or pleasure? Pain or pleasure? She was going haywire. More than once did his thrusts create sparks from her.

Then he increased his pace, his hips clashing against her as his thrusts became more eager and vigorous. He was rougher with her and more determined, the soft noises and the loud ones, the noises which she made, were an amazing thing; he wanted to hear more.

He reached up and gripped her breasts, his thumbs playing with her nipples, rubbing and pulling them, whilst cupping and squeezing the firm growths.

Her moans only got louder, the pillow doing nothing but hiding the rather… unbecoming look on her face as all of her systems seemed to shut down, losing all sense of who or what, knowing only pleasure.

He grabbed the pillow and pulled it off her face, smiling encouragingly at her whilst groaning from his own efforts.

“Jay~! Jay~! J-Jay~! Oh my- h-holy shit~! FUCK~!” She practically began to scream with pleasure as he reached the greatest thrusting speed she could. “J-Jay I’m gonna~!” She cried out, and one of his hands reached up to cup her face gently, and it was that which sent her over the edge. 

It was a strange sensation, her pussy warming up significantly before suddenly there’s warm liquid rushing past and coating his dick as it pounded into her. Her walls clamped down on his dick and as they did, he reached his own climax. Moaning out loudly and giving one last deep thrust. He began to pump warm seed into her artificial womb. She whimpered as she felt the thick load pool within her. She let out a soft giggle, seeing the heat on his face and how he panted. Both of them were hot and exhausted.

Slowly he pulled out of her and flopped onto the bed next to her, panting. She pushed herself up into his arms and kissed him gently. After that, he drifted off to sleep. She didn’t need to sleep. She had an infinite powersource. She didn’t dream, though she could run internal simulations, which could be viewed as dreaming. She did it, because it felt human. She wrapped her arms protectively around his body, and ‘fell asleep’ next to him. Tomorrow they’d tell the team of their relationship.


End file.
